THE BLAYDON RACE Number 15 In Challenge

Blaydon Race 2015 and another prize!

At the finish

After a nice off road, Trail Race, at Grasmere on Saturday, featuring a climb of 659 feet it, was down to sea level and a flat, fast road race last night, Tuesday 9 June 2015 when I joined 4,000 other runners for the trip 'alang the Scotswood Road to the Blaydon Races'.
The start outside St Nicholas Cathedral in central Newcastle was a very congested affair and after a delay whilst the road ahead was cleared, the race started and even though I had climbed over the barrier to be near the front, we went nowhere and slowly at that. Maybe, I exaggerate, but just like The Great North Run, there were some slow b........s who should not have been there.
Anyway, with a bit of zig zagging and a dash along the pavement as we passed Central Station I got among the other club runners and got the pace up to 6.30 min pace.
I must be getting a bit fitter, for  I was able to keep the pace below 7 minute miling until we were over the Scotswood Bridge at the 3+ mile mark. Then it was about hanging onto a decent pace as we went back on ourselves until the turn for home.
At this point I caught up to fellow ( lady actually) Tynedale Harrier, Kim Bluck, and we had a bit of a ding dong all the way into Blaydon. Kim said her legs had gone, but still passed me. I then dug in, caught her again, only to be overtaken,again, and led by her to the finish.
Going through the line in 40.13 (average 7.04 min. pace) I could only hope that it was good enough to get me among the prizes and that turned out to be the case, 3rd V65. Mark Mcnally, who was also the first V65 in the first race in my challenge (Hartlepool Marina) was 1st V65. His fellow Elswick Harrier, Harry Matthews, was second.
A few days rest now before my next scheduled race, Humbleton Hill Fell Race, Haydon Bridge, Wednesday 17 June , organised by pal and fellow Harrier and Sunderland supporter, Marcus Byron, - enter on the night.